Articles and Brochures

Listed below are brochures and articles you may find helpful whether you are an LGBT person, a parent or relative of an LGBT person, someone who ministers with LGBT persons and/or their families, or someone who wants to know more about their LGBT friends, neighbors and co-workers. Their being listed does not necessarily mean that Fortunate Families agrees with all the views presented in these documents.

Pediatrics Vol. 131 No. 4 April 1, 2013. From Conclusion: "... it is in the best interests of children that they be able to partake in the security of permanent nurturing and care that comes with the civil marriage of their parents, without regard to their parents’ gender or sexual orientation.... When marriage of their parents is not a viable option, children should not be deprived of the opportunity for temporary foster care or adoption by single parents or couples, irrespective of their sexual orientation."

"If we are to make full inclusion in our churches and in our society possible, we need to better understand the views and feelings of Christians. With this in mind, Auburn Media, Fenton, and Goodwin Simon Strategic research -- with a grant from the Arcus Foundation -- set out to find the best way to help Christians see how their faith, built upon the teachings of Jesus Christ, supported being all-inclusive and welcoming. We wanted to help change hearts and minds on the place of LGBT people in the church. This toolkit is the result of that work." The story of former Fortunate Families board member, Tom Nelson, is featured.

Instruction from the Vatican Congregation for Catholic Education AND Statement on the Recent Instruction from the Congregation for Catholic Education, Bishop William S. Skylstad of Spokane, President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

This critical new practitioner’s resource guide was written by Dr. Caitlin Ryan, FAP’s Director and is based on current research and more than a decade of family intervention work conducted by Dr. Ryan and her team.
The guide is designed to help health, mental health and social service practitioners implement best practices in family-focused prevention and care for LGBT youth.

Informative report on Dr. Caitlin Ryans study of family rejection on the well-being of gay and transgender youth. Lists both negative and positive parental behaviors that can either put a child at greater risk  or improve her/his self-esteem.

This study, presented in the January, 2009 issues of "Pediatrics," "establishes a clear link between specific parental and caregiver rejecting behaviors and negative health problems in young lesbian, gay and bisexual adults."

Op-ed in Jan. 1, 2103 Washington Post. "An ever-lengthening stream of public opinion polls confirm that a majority of U.S. Catholics support marriage equality and want to get rid of laws that discriminate against LGBT people.... Whether because of the great value that Catholic voters place on the family—all kinds of families—or the commitment rooted in church social justice teachings to treat all people equally, the U. S. Catholic electorate has crossed a bridge on this issue and shows no sign of going back."

March 16, 2012 talk at New Ways Ministry Symposium. Conclusion: "I am convinced that there now needs to be a new study of everything to do with sexuality .... I am convinced that any such study, if conducted with total honesty and integrity, would have a profound influence on church teaching concerning all sexual relationships, both heterosexual and homosexual."

"Some decisions require us to become more deliberate about considering our choices and the eventual consequences of our actions. It is primarily for situations of this sort that this article is intended. A review of some of the elements of moral decision making may help us become tuned in to the many helps at our disposal when we do come upon some of the "tough decisions" that are part of faithful Catholic living in the twentieth century."

A December 2013 essay that concludes: "As church groups and religious institutions offer more gracious welcome to the sexual diversity in our midst, we will be enriched by now-unrecognized gifts of the transgender children and adults among us."

Our Stories

Words To Ponder

“A person once asked me, in a provocative manner, if I approved of homosexuality. I replied with another question: ‘Tell me: when God looks at a gay person, does he endorse the existence of this person with love, or reject and condemn this person?’ We must always consider the person. Here we enter into the mystery of the human being. In life, God accompanies persons, and we must accompany them, starting from their situation. It is necessary to accompany them with mercy. When that happens, the Holy Spirit inspires the priest to say the right thing.” [Pope Francis, Interview released Sept. 19, 2013]